The present invention relates to portable system arrangements having dual high-level-/low-level-processor modes.
Both a background and example embodiments of the present invention will be described using a portable computer and electronic organizer as examples.
As background, FIG. 1 illustrates a portable computer 110 having a keyboard 112 and a display screen 114 (e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD)). The portable computer 110 is constructed to contain a high-level-processor, and advantage thereof, is that it has high computing power allowing the portable computer 110 high-level-processing (e.g., graphics, spreadsheet, etc., calculations). For example, the portable computer 110 may have a Pentium-family processor manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. Memory storage space within the portable computer 110 (e.g., via floppy, hard, compact discxe2x80x94read only memory (CD-ROM), and digital versatile disc ROM (DVD-ROM)) is abundant, and accordingly, the portable computer 110 advantageously may have a large number of, and higher-level, application programs. That is, the portable computer 110 may have an advantageous large high-level software application library. A disadvantage of the portable computer, is that it correspondingly has a high rate of power consumption (owing mainly to the high-level-processor and also peripherals (e.g., hard disk, liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, etc.), and therefore battery operation thereof (without connection to an external power source) lasts for a relatively short period of time (e.g., 3-4 hours). Often times, an external power source (e.g., a house wall socket, an airline seat""s power socket) is not available, limiting usage of the portable computer 110 only to the limited battery life.
Further shown for background within FIG. 1 is a personal organizer 120 having operational keys 212, display screen 214 (e.g., small-sized LCD), and an input pad 216 allowing user (not shown) input via a pencil, stylus, or via touch of a human finger (e.g., touch pad). The term xe2x80x9celectronic organizerxe2x80x9d should be interpreted broadly in the sense that this disclosure and claims associated herewith cover all types of electronic organizers, e.g., hand-held personal data assistants (PDA""s), address books, etc. The electronic organizer is constructed to contain a low-level-processor having a low rate of power consumption, e.g., a Strong ARM-family processor manufactured again by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. An advantage of the electronic organizer 120, is that battery operation thereof (without connection to an external power source) lasts a relatively longer period of time (e.g., 20 hours). Another advantage is that the personal organizer 120 is relatively small and is easily carried (e.g., in a user""s pocket). However, as the low-level-processor only affords low-level-processing, then graphics, spreadsheet, etc., calculations are impossible, difficult or inefficient to handle with the low-level-processor. Further, since memory storage space within the personal organizer is limited (e.g., via limited FLASH memory resources), the personal organizer disadvantageously may have a limited number of, and lower-level, application programs.
Accordingly, a user may own/use/carry both such equipment, and the combination of the portable computer 110 and personal organizer 120 can be said to represent an electronic equipment inventory 100 of a user. A disadvantage of the inventory 100 is that often times a user must juggle attention between the devices in order to access needed information. For example, a user may first need to access the personal organizer 120 in order to determine a schedule and due date of documents which are needed to be prepared, and then the user may have to access the portable computer 110 for higher-level application software necessary to prepare the documents.
Further, at times, for example, during long overseas trips, a user may wish to limit a number of electronic equipment items which he/she would be carrying. Opting for only the organizer 120 is disadvantageous in that the user will not have access to the high-level-processing and large high-level software application library of the portable computer 110. Opting for only the portable computer 110 is disadvantageous in that an operation and long boot up time thereof is limited as discussed above (due to the high power consumption requirements of the portable computer 110). Further, the user may not have access to important scheduling information contained within the electronic organizer 120.
What is needed is a new arrangement affording the combined advantages of both the portable computer 110 and the organizer 120.